Cornering hints

[lewbear]

Hi, I'm a newbie, riding for about 5 weeks or so and I'm a bit paranoid on corners and roundabouts. I've got a YBR125 and since I came off on some diesel I'm a bit paranoid about steering too much. Do you have any advice for cornering, speeds etc. How fast do you go around roundabouts? Sorry if it sounds a bit dodgy!

[Bishbash]

Yeah I found that if you keep your revs around 7000 mark and steady, you should be ok, dont worry bout getting your knee down yet. Get the basics first. but really it is parctice, keep doing and doing it till you love it and can do it at a faster pace....and yo will love it. Also, it was really unlucky that you found the joys of diesel on your first 5 weeks of riding. You know the saying...'If you fall of your bike get straight back on it'.

[Matt06]

Hey man, I have a YBR too .

Sorry to hear you came off.

The main thing i think to remember about roundabouts is getting in the right gear. 1st or 2nd usually does it for me on my YBR. If you go round a roundabout or corner in too high a gear then the bike will judder and it will feel like short bursts of speed which isnt favourable and it will be harder to control the bike.
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Current: MT-10, Bandit, Grom, GPZ500
Previous: YBR125, GSXR400, ZXR400, MT-03, NTV650, R6, z750, ZX6R, MT-09

[Whosthedaddy]

I had exactly the same worries, still do to that matter

This was my first post


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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[colin1]

keep it smooth, and avoid braking while turning

if you are going a bit fast for a bend and realise halfway thru, its usually better to lean over further

if you need to reduce the speed a little bit mid corner, use the back not the front brake, and only reduce it a bit

it can be worth straightening up a bit, braking, and then turning again more sharply

try to avoid harsh braking,

[AcIdBuRnZ]

You have only been riding 5 weeks, in some really shitty weather I bet.

Wait until summer and get some confidence riding in the dry, then you will realise what a bike can do in the dry, then adapt your riding for wet conditions.

Diesel - not much can be done to avoid, unless you spot it and ride to avoid it.
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[lewbear]

I'm not even sure if I'm leaning at all really! I'm a slow down and turn the handlebars kinda guy it seems. Lack of confidence And whosthedaddy, great minds clearly think alike! I'll have to go for a blast on Sunday, weather permitting!

[ratboy]

i've been riding for two years (and a bit) and im still slow in this kind of weather, just choose your line, and stay committed- usually i try to avoid the centre of the lane when cornering, as its usually full of grit n shit, but thats just me being a bit paranoid.
wait for summer before trying your/your bikes limits

[JonB]

A wise man once told me last year that the most important thing about cornering is belief. Look at the exit of the corner, or if you can see that keep looking towards the apex. Keep your eyes fixated on it. Through target fixation, you will make it through that corner at almost any speed. So long as you keep your eye on it. Of course a bit of confidence is needed when cornering so I would practice this in the summer really, but it is the best way of cornering effectively in my opinion. Without this I would have become a cropper many times.

Another important tip that nearly saw the end of me, do NOT use the front brake at all whilst cornering or it will knock you straight off the bike, if you need to slow down, then use your back brake effectively and if you can try and drop down a gear for more engine braking.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[J0Al1]

[Ariel Badger]

Take the bike back to the shop, tell them that you have been using it for over a month and ask them to take the stabilisers off.
Cornering is confidence, if you think you are going too fast lay the bike down harder and open the throttle and it will whip you through the bend, braking will cause you to hit fictional patches of diesel.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[Squiffy_The_Wombat]

most important thing EVER while cornering is where you are looking!

You need to look ahead of where your going and not directly in front of you! Dont stare at the road in front of you but look where your going! LOOK ROUND THE CORNER NOT WHERE THE BIKE IS POINTING!

The best pratice is to find an empty carpark, put out two cones and do a figure of 8 around them! Use your clutch and your rear brake just like you did in your CBT (or i hope you did). Then as you gain in confidence move the cones closer and closer together untill you can do it on full lock!

As for whoever said about only riding in the dry and then in the wet- bah whatever!!!! If you can learn to overcome this in the wet, when you come to ride in the summer you will be a much better rider! Your very unlikelly to hurt yourself on a 125 even in the wet! Just remmber dont lean as much!

I did this quick set of drawings for you to explain:


https://www.semodels.com/bikeplay.jpg

Sorry if i seem like im talking down to you, i wasnt sure how much you did or didnt know!
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Squiffy_The_Wombat
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines

[Squiffy_The_Wombat]

[jamie1984]

Im a bit of a nervous wreck with corners.. first time i came off my mito was when i was looking at where i wanted to be and leant over the bike too much on wet ground and it just slid from me (on a roundabout). That was a couple of months ago and yesterday on my brothers gpz i came off again going round a roundabout, slipping on some black ice at 5mp :/ now ive just no confidence in the bike. every time i lean even a little i feel like the front of the bike is gonna slip away from me. My confidence is slightly better on left hand turns which is damn wierd.

meh, i love riding on the bike... just finding it hard to relax on corners

[colin1]

another thing is that during the corner, you should be accelerating through it for optimum grip

so slow down before, and accelerate through the corner

[davidimurray]

Hi

My girlfriend has a YBR as well. On those skinny tyres they turn very quickly - also the tyres aren't the greatest so don't expect to be getting your knee down.

First time I took her's out I forgot how small it was. First roundabout I got to I threw it in like my bike and almost got my knee down!!!

Are you familiar with counter steering? If not have a read up about it. Find yourself a nice long bend and practice going round it slowly building up the speed and your lean. Roundabouts are difficult because you are only leaning over for a short time and you are changing direction - if you can find a long bend to practice on then you can feel what is going on for longer.

[Pete.]

If you spend your life worrying about diesel you'll never relax. Having said the above, diesel does pose more of a hazard in the wet because it sits on top of the damp road and spreads out over a wider area, plus it's harder to spot.

Cornering doesn't feel natural when you first start riding but it comes with time. In the wet or cold & damp isn't the best time to practice because of the widely varying levels of grip on each surface. If you are riding in warm & dry conditions it's unlikely you'll find the limit of your tyres for a while at least.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Pete.]

The best way to improve your confidence is to wear good gear. If you aren't wearing good protection you'll always have it in your mind that you're going to grind-off bodyparts if you do have even a small spill.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Zimbo]

I class myself as a reasonably fast rider, I do trackdays and race a bit, carry loads of corner speed knee down etc. On the few occasions I've been out over the last month or so I've been really really slow and careful on roundabouts, not at all confident in the levels of grip available, felt I was almost at walking pace. So, shouldn't worry about it, when the weather improves and grip levels are better your confidence will quickly improve, in the meantime being over cautious is no bad thing.

[chris-red]

[THCi]

@Chris-red, thats a good thing. I had to have a new tyre in December (what a time to be buying a new tyre...), and I've still got an inch of chicken all the way around mine. The front which was the same as I ran about on in Summer has got about 2mm left. Ill get rid of the rear chicken when the summer comes, as you probably will as well.


@Lewbear, dont worry about your cornering just yet. Worry more about what that car approaching a junction is going to do, that car up your arse, and the twat on his phone in front of you. As long as you take your time with your corners you will be fine.

My advice is to hone your road craft before you try to be come Rossi.
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Past: GZ 125 K4 Marauder, VL 125 LC Intruder, FZS 600 Fazer. Present: GSF 600 N K3 Bandit, GSX-R 600 X(soon)
"We're not gonna die. We can't die, Bendis. You know why? Because we are so...very...pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die."

[lewbear]

I'm not trying to become Rossi or a superbike racer, I just wondered what is best, I wasn' given much tutelage on my CBT as the other lad wasn't too hot so I was left to myself. I live in an area where theres a lot of tight corners and things. I'm not paranoid about imaginary patches of diesel and things, I slipped on a patch (and it was diesel due to the rainbow in the road that I didnt see until I skidded on it at 5 mph).

1930 Ariel - I don't really understand where you're coming from, I'm not trying to knee slide, I'm on a bloody commuter bike and just asking for advice - I've only started learning so don't talk about stabilisers in that condescending way, and see above for the response to your insulting diesel comment.

Everyone else though - you've really helped me, and having gone for a ride today, I feel a lot more confident - thanks guys!

[young_rider07]

My advice to you mate is to accelerate during the turn and lean into the turn.Aviod braking.If you think that you are at very high speed brake a little before the turn and accelerate.It always works.Even if you watch Moto Gp and all they lower their speed before the turn.At the starting of the turn you should be at minimum speed and at the end you should be at the maximum speed.
Hope it helps you.
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I don't Drive fast I Fly Slow

[THCi]

Just remember, what ever speed you enter into the corner, you shouldnt have to slow down to make it turn in. Lean the bike in more and you'll supprise yourself, chances are that you wont be able to make the tyres loose traction on a good surface. But if you are struggling, check that youre tyres are inflated to correct pressure and are a round shape.

As, if the rear is flattened in the middle it will make it "drop" like a stone into the corner. If the shoulders of the front (as a front tyre wears more on the shoulders as it does more work here, think counter stear-tyre is actually pointing in an opposite direction to travel of bike meaning more wear, this happens on most bikes over circa 15mph) are worn it will make the bike run wide. Until I replaced my tyres I had this combo going, it felt completely shite, and I was going around corners at half my current speed. A quick visual and pressure check is all thats needed to put your mind at rest in this area. Check your manual and tyre manufactorers websites for correct pressures.
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Past: GZ 125 K4 Marauder, VL 125 LC Intruder, FZS 600 Fazer. Present: GSF 600 N K3 Bandit, GSX-R 600 X(soon)
"We're not gonna die. We can't die, Bendis. You know why? Because we are so...very...pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die."

[lewbear]